One of the great women violinists, Carl Flesch pupil and most important Band leaders in Weimar Berlin,

Hungarian Jewish Edith Lorand was the top band leader for the Parlophon company, so much that equally important Marek Weber defected to Electrola.


Edith-Lorand-Orchester  in two great Johann Strauss Waltzes




Roses Of The South / Wine, Woman And Song


Shellac, 10", 78 RPM
A  Rosen Aus Dem Süden
B  Wein, Weib Und Gesang

GER: Berlin, Carl Lindström AG, SO.33, Schlesische Straße 26
1928.05.08 Mon

Please see top of the page for condition

Also as: "Edith Lorand and Her Hungarian Orch." (in America) , and "Edith Lorand & Her Viennese Orch."
b. Dec. 17, 1898, Budapest, Hungary, d. Nov. 23, 1960, New York, NY, USA.
OVERVIEW:
Here's a photo of Edith Lorand, from a Publicity Post Card. (The back side reads: "Edith Lorand, Her dynamic Violin and Continental Orchestra are currently featured in gay dance music and sparkling musical entertainment in the Tavern Room* Bismarck Hotel, Chicago.") Lorand was a skilled violinist whose early career was spent mainly in Germany, although she did tour all of Europe extensively. She was a prolific recording artist and her recordings (as 'Edith Lorand Orchester') sold extremely well all during the late 1920s and 1930s.

In the early 1900s, "Salon" ensembles proliferated throughout Europe (and North America); small groups of musicians performing in a variety of locations, such as hotels and tearooms. Groups such as Dajos Bela, Albert Sandler, and Edith Lorand led such "Salon orchestras" of just a few musicians, playing popular dance tunes and selections from operettas and musical comedies, as well as some light classical works. Many became the recording stars of their day

Little is known of her early life other than she did graduate from music academy in Budapest. Subsequently, she studied with professor Carl Flesch. In 1920, she appeared for the first time on a concert stage (in Berlin, Germany) as a soloist. Lorand made Berlin her permanent residence, and remained there, with some interruptions, until 1934. She would go on to appear on stages in Munich, Hamburg, in the capitals of Switzerland, Italy, Holland, and England.

On June 1921, she made her first recordings for the Parlophone label. In 1927, Parlophone released their 1000th recording which was titled "Wiener Maedln" ("Vienna Girl"), a waltz by Karl Michael Ziehrer, -and it was played by Lorand's orchestra. In 1928, Parlophone recorded "Amorettenreigen Valse" ("Love Reigns"), by the Orchestra Mascotti with Edith Lorand (composed by Czech composer Julius Fucik). During that six year period, her repertoire covered a genre we today call "Salon" music, -operettas, dance music, popular melodies of the day, even some symphonic selections, all of which were released on the old 78rpm 25 and 30CM (10 and 12 inch) records.

On April 1, 1930, she signed a three year recording contract with Lindstroem AG, which called for her to produce at least 144 tunes per year, averaging six two-sided records per month. According to her contract, Lorand received 250 Deutsche Marks per session, so that (for the 144 tunes) she was guaranteed a fee of at least 36,000 Marks per year. An interesting contract sidelight was that the costs of the orchestra were borne by the record company, not by Edith Lorand. According to the contract, Lindstroem engaged a studio orchestra of eleven musicians for Edith Lorand to lead for the duration of seven months, starting from Sept. 1, 1930. The orchestra was known under her name Edith Lorand Orchester, (from a Parlophone publicity flyer) both in Germany and on those records sold abroad.

During this period, music was undergoing a sort of technical revolution. The invention of the phonograph made it possible for large numbers of people to hear music that was previously part of the domain of just financially affluent members of society. Artists could now reach a mass public. She appeared on the stage of Berlin's "Capitol" theatre, in Hamburg, and in the important European Variety halls, - in Paris, in Vienna ("the Ronacher"), in London ("Alhambra") and also at the Berlin opera theatre "Scala".

During February 1932 and January 14, 1933, she appeared several times at the Scala theatre in the revue "Nachtparade" ("Night Parade"), but still continued to play both Popular and Classical themes. Her orchestra was very frequently heard on the radio, not only on records, but also with Live concerts on German, Austrian, Swedish, Dutch and English broadcasts. On February 21, 1932, and again on the 27th, her orchestra was heard in America via short wave transmission from Berlin By this time, her popularity was so large that she was also appearing in films. But by early 1934, all this success began to unravel. Lorand and her orchestra were performing at Berlin's "Scala" theatre when the commitment was prematurely broken after just 10 days, for "rassischen" (racial) reasons. In later years, (confirmed -1958 in a written explanation) "Scala" Kapellmeister Otto Stenzel revealed that on March 19, 1934, he had written to Lorand on behalf of the "Scala Theatre Society m.b.H." the following letter (here paraphrased due to translation):

       "very honoured Ms Lorand! We communicate you hereby that for
       remainder of this month, we must do without the orchestra's
       artistic activity in our house, with yourself starring,
       (which 10. CR arranged for on Saturday) for preventive measures,
        - the financial affairs adjust themselves automatically in accordance
       with the regulations of the collective

Lorand, who was well-known as a "Jewish artist" understood that "preventive measures" meant the management of the Scala had removed her from the program in order to forestall anti-Semitic motivated disturbances. In 1933, when the National Socialist party came to power, Edith Lorand was age 34, and riding high on success, with wide artist recognition; a very popular star well-liked by the public. But the abnormal termination of the "Scala" appearance made it perfectly clear to her that there was no possibility for future employment in Germany. Even though she was a registered member of the national music chamber, and possessed a "provisional" document of identification with the number 3339, no other organizer wanted to run the risk of disturbances by the Nazis or other hate groups. In addition, her contract with Lindstroem AG had run out after its three-year duration to March 31, 1933. In view of changed political conditions, it was hardly to be expected that the contract would be extended. Furthermore, Lindstroem AG didn't have to schedule any recording sessions with Lorand, since they could still use the old 'masters'. (Their old disk catalogs prove that the older Lorand discs were indeed re-pressed and sold far into the time of the National Socialism.)

In the middle of May 1934, following her last "Scala" appearance in March, Edith Lorand moved quickly to return to her homeland, Hungary. At the time, she also insured her valuable Guarneri violin with Lloyd's of London. It is interesting to note that it was insured only for travel in Europe (with the exception of Russia and Turkey). Obviously, at this time, she still had the intention of remaining in Europe - probably in Hungary. A furniture mover was contacted to arrange for the transport of her furniture from her dwelling in the Charlottenburger Giesebrechtstrasse No. 13 to Budapest. On June 14, the carriers sent the cost estimate, and on June 30, the furniture packers moved her household effects to Hungary.

However, Budapest would only offer a short respite from anti-semitism. Sadly, the Hungarian government was becoming increasingly aligned with Nazi Germany. All of this meant that Lorand had to again flee. In December 1937, Lorand again fled to safety, this time to the United States where she would spend the remainder of her life. In America, she later married, and husband and wife settled in Woodstock, New York.

Concerning her career in America, there is an interesting comment from a fellow Hungarian, famed cellist and conductor, George Barati (b. Gyor, Hungary,), who has written 

       "In 1935, when the beautiful, but aging Hungarian violinist, Edith Lorand 
       returned to Budapest from Germany, where she had lived as the infamous
       mistress of the German Crown Prince, to form an all-Gypsy orchestra for
       a tour to the United States. She auditioned all the available leading
       cellists to no avail. Again, as two years earlier, my teacher, Professor 
       Schiffer, suggested that I try out. Once again, I got the job. It was
       to be a two-month stint. I was to be paid $36, -that was a very
       large sum in Hungary. I had to pay room and board out of that."

       "We had several weeks of rehearsals at Miss Lorand's villa in the mountains
       of Buda. Sixteen young men - none Gypsy - and a dark beauty of a
       violinist; the combination could only be a winner, except that soon I
       realized that she had no idea how to rehearse. I began to say,
       "Madam Artist, we have to rehearse this passage. We are not
       together." Or, "The trombone is much too loud; in a small
       orchestra it should sound like a second bassoon, that's the part he is
       really playing, you know. " Gradually I became sort of an assistant
       conductor."

       "After weeks of hard work, we left for Paris and Le Havre where we boarded
       the Ile De France; a true luxury trip except for the heavy ocean.
       We played a concert aboard ship. We arrived in New York on a Wednesday
       and Thursday night was our debut concert on the famous Kraft Cheese Hour.
       In Studio H of NBC, on one end sat the Paul Whiteman Band, on the other
       our all "Gypsy" orchestra. We alternated."

       "Of course, Whiteman had Gershwin as his pianist and Ferde Grofe as his arranger.
       This was a distinguished group and an honor for us to be associated with them.
       Then came our Carnegie Hall concert with many famous musical personalities
       in the audience. Joseph Szigeti, the great Hungarian violinist was one. I
       had several major solos and cadenzas in the program and I played well.

       Of course, once again, I had no idea of the importance of Carnegie Hall
       in the musical life of this country. Had I known, probably I'd have been very
       nervous. We had a bus with a native-born Hungarian, and we had a manager
       who spoke English. Lorand was paid by NBC Management for each concert but
       she paid us by the week. The original itinerary started as follows:
       Monday, New York; Wednesday, Washington; Friday, Wheeling, West Virginia.
       So she re-arranged the tour by throwing in between whatever town she could.
       Tuesday became Chicago, between New York and Washington. Thursday some
       other distant city. The result was that, as our bus always left at midnight
       after supper, it arrived at 5 or 6 o'clock, or even later, just in time to dress for
       the next concert. "

       "This resulted in several major developments: 1) total fatigue; 2) saving
       much money on not having to sleep in hotels; 3) since we ate hurriedly,
       the manager had to order food for us and we never learned a single word of
       English; and 4) Edith Lorand made a small fortune on her mishandling the
       contract. But then, at the end of the tour, in the Midwest somewhere after a
       concert, she announced that she extended our contract since we were
       successfully re-engaged. Not so said our bassoon player, who was a law
       student. The extension of the contract had to be done by noon
       that day, not midnight, according to our written contract. This turned
       into a battle with the Hungarian consulates in Chicago and New York.
       They threatened us with arrest if we didn't give in. We held our ground,
       shaky as it was due to fatigue and frustration, with Toscanini and Feuerman,
       and at 4 p.m. we sailed back home home on the Ile De France!

       What a sweet victory! All the way, until the Hungarian border and
       the behavior of the border customs officials. The bassoonist gingerly
       carried a brand new glass coffee maker. It was a Silex and it was the
       gift of the century to his fiancTe. The customs official took
       one look at it and threw it on the ground; it broke into fragments. This
       was our homecoming but a similar thing happened to me upon disembarking
       from the ship at Le Havre. The French customs official, seeing my Hungarian
       passport, threw my beautiful, custom-made evening shirts into the mud.
       France was against Hungary in both world wars and this was just a casual
       expression of his feelings."

        "To sum up my first American experience:
       I knew well and loved New York. I roamed the streets, walking twenty, thirty
       blocks for pleasure. But, I hated America. I wrote a couple of short
       articles for my home town paper in which I declared that I'd never
       live in a country that used Greek temples as banks, and covered its nature with
       huge posters on the highways, to mention just two facts. Little did I know . . ."

Although Lorand's new orchestra toured America, she never achieved the same level of success as she had in Europe. In May 1960, she returned to Berlin, where during the 1920s and '30s, she had spent probably the most important and exciting time of her life. At the time, sources reported that she was intending to return permanently to Berlin, and to again take up her artistic activity there. But, that was not to be. Edith Lorand died at the age of 61 years on November 23, 1960 in New York. in an age when very few women were accepted by the public, Edith Lorand had found success in both the worlds of Classical and Popular music, receiving very wide public acceptance as both a solo violinist and as an orchestra leader. Sadly, only a few of her old 78RPM records have been transcribed onto CDs.